Last Updated: February 14, 2023, 12:22 IST
Steve Smith gives the thumbs up to Ravindra Jadeja.
Steve Smith gave a thumbs up to Jadeja which was nothing but a light-hearted gesture in view of the friendly banter these two teams have always produced over the years. Nevertheless, this didn’t go down well with former Australia captain Allan Border who took Smith on for the gesture.
During the first day of the Nagpur Test match, Steve Smith was beaten outside his off stump. And he did something which shocked many of those who were present and watching the game LIVE. He gave a thumbs up to Jadeja which was nothing but a light-hearted gesture in view of the friendly banter these two teams have always produced over the years. Nevertheless, this didn’t go down well with former Australia captain Allan Border who took Smith on for the gesture.
“Play with a harder edge. I mean, we’re giving blokes the thumbs up when they’re beating us outside the off stump,” Border had said. “What the hell is going on? That is just ridiculous. Don’t go stupid, but Australia play hard nose cricket. We’re even giving someone thumbs up … bloody hell”
Now, Alex Carey has replied to Border’s fiery criticism, saying that Smith is friends with a lot of Indian players.
“We highly respect Allan Border,” Carey was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. “I guess among the group, guys do it differently. We come up against these players a lot.
“You’re probably alluding to the Steve Smith comment more than any but, you know, he’s mates with a lot of them. And that’s the way he [Smith] plays. He does it in all situations. He plays around with his hands and does all that stuff. And I think that’s probably what gets him pretty focused. They’re obviously strong comments but, as a group, we believe in what we’re doing and come the second Test we’re ready to put a few learnings into place.”
After Hue and Cry, Australian Team Does Optional Practice Session In Nagpur
The Australian cricket team had a practice session at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium at Jamtha here on Monday, opting to utilise the extra day they got to stay in Nagpur because the first ended in three days.
According to VCA officials, the Aussies sought the ground from 10 AM for practice on what could actually have been the fifth day of the match as per the schedule. But the match ended on the third itself after Pat Cummins’ side stumbled to 91 all out in their second innings inside one session as they were humbled by innings and 132 runs by Rohit Sharma’s side thanks to superb bowling by Ravindra Jadeja, in the first innings, and Ravichandran Ashwin in the second.
On Sunday, the Aussies had sought to practice on the same central wicket on which they had suffered the debacle, getting out for 91, their lowest-ever score on Indian soil. However, they had to cancel that session as the groundsmen had watered the pitch after the match so that they can start getting it ready for the next match.
Get the latest Cricket News here